Re-application and External Letters

Follow the usual procedure for developing lists and obtaining the usual number of external letters.

UCRT advises in its guidelines that “evaluations whose content might reasonably have been predicted in advance should be avoided.”  This includes evaluations from those who have submitted letters previously. Nevertheless, if you determine to approach a reviewer who recently submitted a letter, modify the request along the lines “We are reviewing again the application of…” Mention that the applicant’s materials have been updated and request that the reviewer please update his or her comments as applicable. Invite the reviewer to submit either an updated full letter or a cover note with the previous letter attached. Do not guide the reviewer to recent developments or to the changes in the applicant’s materials and do not in any way suggest what might have been a weakness in the previous application. In all other respects, the external reviewer request letter should follow the usual format and text.

Also, remember that “if a candidate comes up a second time for tenure or for promotion to a particular rank, all letters received in connection with the first application should be included in the file, even if the faculty member decided not to complete the application process that year.” 

For more information on this topic, visit the “Arms-Length, Unbiased Evaluations” of the UCRT Applications page. (new window)